Slides In A Picture Reel
by Min the Noodle
Summary: They flicker by so fast, these moments, these people. They last only so long and then they're gone. It is all that we can do to capture and preserve them, for as long as we can, until the memories yellow with the pages. -Character Sketch Series.-
1. Kingless Soldier

**Premise:**

1. Pick a character, fandom, or pairing.

2. Put your iPod on "shuffle." Press play and listen to five songs.

3. For whatever song is selected, write something for your selected character/fandom/pairing. You have until the song is over to finish. Do not go back and change. Then post.

* * *

The first entry in a five-part drabble series. In each part, the drabbles are unconnected, save for the fact that they focus around one specific character.

Enjoy! Reviewers win cookies... and possibly a giftfic, depending on the review. ;)

* * *

**Part 1: Marche - Kingless Soldier**

* * *

"_When blood and water hit the ground_

_Walls we couldn't move came crashing down_

_We were free and made alive_

_The day that true love died_

_The day that true love died" _

-Phil Wickham, _The True Love_

- - -

* * *

Marche lowered his sword.

It was over. They had won.

The soldier's footsteps rang across the stones as he walked past the scattered weapons and rubble, past the shapes huddled like undone laundry on the ground. He stopped before the limp body of a moogle. Its green coat was stained a deep burgundy, once vibrant, now beginning to crust over. Its eyes, glassy, stared at the ceiling from behind a shock of blond hair.

Beside it was a heap of gravel. A stone hand rose from the pile, its fingers outstretched. When Marche touched it, it crumbled into dust.

"We won," Marche whispered to the moogle. The words echoed, hollow and lonely, in the cold palace hall.

* * *

- - -

"_What do you say_

_When it's all gone away?_

_Baby I didn't mean to hurt you_

_Truth spoke in whispers will tear you apart_

_No matter how hard you resist it"_

-Norah Jones, _Humble Me_

- - -

* * *

Marche found him behind the school that afternoon, long after the yellow buses had pulled away. For a while Marche just stood there, gazing at the figure huddled against the wall, knees tucked up against his chest.

He cleared his throat.

"Hey."

Mewt looked up. There was an ugly bruise under his eye. He looked at Marche, his face empty, saying nothing.

Marche held out his hand. "Let's go home."

* * *

- - -

"Odoru get night! Mitsuketa koi

Kore koso are desho kakeru desho

Kimete no feiku wo kasanetara

Jou deki! Koi-wa I jou!!"

—Gravitation, _Jounetsu _[Passionate]_ Ballad_

_- - -_

_

* * *

_

The music in the techno club was loud and pounding. He could feel the bass rumbling through his teeth, rattling his glass. It hurt his head.

It was the newest thing, techno. They'd had it in the town he'd lived in before he'd moved, but in sleepy snowy Ivalice _(this Ivalice, not the other)_, no one had even heard of it.

Until now.

But he was older now, he supposed. They all were.

Times had changed, as they invariably did.

She came across the dance floor and stood there, painted beautiful colors by the rave lights. Her hair hung loose and long around her shoulders. "Hey Marche, wanna dance?"

For a moment, he saw here standing there, hair whipping around her face in the desert wind, sword-shining and blade slim beautiful in a place where techno music didn't exist because it didn't matter, none of it mattered.

"Sure," he said.

* * *

- - -

_Bara no Shikabane_, Yami no Matsuei

- - -

* * *

"It's magic," whispered the boy. "This book."

The girl glanced up at him through her fall of pink hair. The three children were crowded around a table, upon which rested an open book. "You think so?"

"I know so," said the first, who was called Mewt.

The last child stared at the book and thought.

_Imagine what I could do._

"I could change the world," whispered the first.

"Magic," echoed the girl.

_Imagine. Imagine what I could do._

* * *

- - -

"_I remember the look in yours eyes_

_When I told you that this was goodbye_

_You were begging me not tonight_

_Not here, not now"_

-Yellowcard, _Ocean Avenue_

_- - -_

_

* * *

_

There were hundreds of reasons why it wouldn't work out, she told him. Hundreds. They weren't right for each other; they were too different, he always wanted to protect her when there was no danger, when she didn't need or want it. He always tried to play the hero. Didn't he understand?

He said nothing, just stared at his open palms, fingers curled slightly up in their gloves. So different from hers. He thought about the hundreds of times he had held those hands, held—

Whose hands?

She saw him looking. Besides, she said softly, you're in love with someone else.

And the eyes that looked back into hers gave her all the affirmation she needed.

- - -


	2. Beloved Prince

* * *

**Premise:**

1. Pick a character, fandom, or pairing.

2. Put your iPod on "shuffle." Press play and listen to five songs.

3. For whatever song is selected, write something for your selected character/fandom/pairing. You have until the song is over to finish. Do not go back and change. Then post.

* * *

The second entry in a five-part drabble series. This one was tough; out of the allotted five songs, my iPod coughed up only two songs with lyrics. Oof.

This set of five was very difficult for me. For some reason, Mewt is one of the hardest characters for me to get a handle on. Let me know which one of these five you like the best?

Either way, enjoy! Please drop me a review on your way out~!

* * *

**Part 2: Mewt - Beloved Prince**

**

* * *

**

- - -

_A Place We Should Return To (Invincible Mix)_

-White Melodies of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

- - -

Mewt dreams about home sometimes, when the rest of the palace has gone to sleep. He dreams of an Ivalice made of snow and brick instead of sand and stone. They aren't all pleasant dreams. Sometimes he dreams of bullies, of hurled rocks and cruel laughter _(none of which can hurt him here, not _him_)_, and sometimes of fathers reeking of cigarettes and cheap beer _(not his father, not here, not now)._

It all seems so far away.

But sometimes he dreams of a mother's loving arms, of warm fireplaces and warm hugs and warm, smiling faces.

This is how Mewt wants to remember the other Ivalice.

This is how he wants to remember home.

- - -

* * *

- - -

"I saw God by the river

Panning for gold

I saw God by the river

Weary and old

He said; 'Son,

I used to know where I put things,

I used to know'"

—Ben Sollee, _Panning For Gold_

- - -

When Mewt looks at his reflection, he isn't always sure who he sees.

When he first met Marche, he had thought that they had the same eyes: lost, a blue made clear and beautiful through sharp loss.

They were not the eyes of a child.

They looked just like Mewt's.

He knows now that he was wrong. Marche's eyes have changed since then. And he is not the only one.

Now, when he looks into the mirror, sometimes he sees blue. Sometimes, if he looks very carefully, he sees gold.

And when he does, he can't help but shudder.

- - -

* * *

- - -

-Naruto, _Raikiri (Thunder Break)_

- - -

The first assault came hard and fast. One moment he was walking through the market, the next he was on the ground, lungs squeezed of breath, a blade pressed to his throat. The tomatoes that the produce vendor had been showing him were still in the air. They hadn't even begun their descent to the ground.

I'm going to die, he thought dazedly, watching the tomatoes hover, then float gently toward the earth.

And then there was a flash of crimson, of gold, and the assailant was gone. The biskmatar—_his_ biskmatar_—_stood over him, splattered with blood. Grasping his hand, the biskmatar hauled him to his feet.

"We're going home," the biskmatar said curtly as he pulled him through the crowd.

He could only nod in agreement.

- - -

* * *

- - -

_-_Freeplay Music, Dark Dimensions Vol 2_, __Legion_

_- - -_

The halls are cold tonight. The prince shivers.

Below the balcony, the soldiers stretch out from side to side, far into the distance, as far as the eye can see. If he tried to pick one out from the rest, five minutes later, he would not be able to remember which. They are of different races and species, but their black uniforms are as dull and unremarkable as their faces.

_One day,_ says the Queen, _all of this will be yours._

He can't help but feel absurd—he thinks he may have seen something like this in _The Lion King_ once—but as he looks out over the sleeping city, awash in black soldiers, the reality of it hits him.

_Mine. All mine._

Someday.

- - -

* * *

- - -

"There's a stirring in my heart

Unexplainable

There's a calling on my days

Undeniable, yeah

And there's a fire in my bones

Uncontainable

And it's causing me to burn

It's causing me to burn"

-Fee, _Burn For You_

- - -

* * *

- - -

Mewt's hands tighten around the sword's hilt.

"Just like that," Marche says encouragingly. The older boy's hands help him steady his grip. "Slide your left hand down a bit. There, that's right. Now, I'm going to let go, so get ready."

The hands release the sword, and suddenly the weight of the weapon pulls his arms down. He wasn't expecting it to be so _heavy_. Mewt grips the sword resolutely and holds it out in front of him, the tip wavering slightly.

"Good." Marche brushes his hair back from his eyes. "That's what we need right now—a strong king to put this kingdom back together."

"I'm not strong," he hears himself say.

Marche looks at him and there is infinite wisdom in his eyes. "Yes, you are. Never let anyone tell you you're not. If there's anyone who can achieve the impossible, it's you."

As the sword tip steadies in the fading light, Mewt can almost believe it.

- - -


	3. Bladed Lady

**Premise:**

1. Pick a character, fandom, or pairing.

2. Put your iPod on "shuffle." Press play and listen to five songs.

3. For whatever song is selected, write something for your selected character/fandom/pairing. You have until the song is over to finish. Do not go back and change. Then post.

* * *

The third entry in a five-part drabble series. This time around, it's Ritz. She was a fun one to write; she's a bit angry for my taste, but an interesting character nonetheless. Enjoy, and please review on your way out~!

* * *

**Part 3: Ritz – Bladed Lady**

**

* * *

**

- - -

"Now, do it now

While he's gassing himself to a palpable stupor

The timing's ideal and the moment is super

To ready and fire and blow the sick bastard away

Now, do it now

Just a flicker of pressure right here, right here on the trigger

And Audrey won't have to put up that pig for another day

Now, for the girl, now, for the plant

Now, yes, I will...

But I can't."

-Alan Menken, Now (It's Just the Gas) [from _Little Shop of Horrors_]

- - -

She stood over him, one arm extended as if to help him up. But there were no open hands, not for him.

Marche stared at her, grass stains on his elbows, disbelief written across his face. The point of the rapier rested delicately at the hollow of his throat, pricking the skin.

Her eyes were green, blue, hard as jade.

There was no mercy in those eyes.

It was only a heartbeat's worth of time, but it was a heartbeat that seemed to last for an eternity. At last she raised the rapier. "Go."

Marche went.

- - -

* * *

- - -

"I don't need a lot of things 

I can get by with nothing 

Of all the blessings life can bring 

I've always needed something 

But I've got all I want 

When it comes to loving you 

You're my only reason 

You're my only truth"

-Leann Rimes, _I Need You_

- - -

"Watch it!"

Ritz ducked just in time. The enemy blue mage's sabre went whistling overhead. There was a satisfying _thunk_ as Ritz's elbow slammed into his gut. He went down with an "oomph."

Ritz straightened as Shara came bounding from the trees. "Thanks."

"Yeah," replied the viera, sighting down her arrow. "You've been off lately."

Ritz knew. She'd noticed herself.

They both knew that the answer why lay halfway across the continent, with a boy with hair the color of sunflowers and eyes that could pierce your very soul.

"Just watch yourself," was all that Shara said.

- - -

* * *

- - -

"I was too ashamed yeah I was too ashamed

I was just too weak to save her

But she doesn't care

No! She doesn't care

Please let me take your pain away for one day"

-Daphne Loves Derby, _Middle Middle_

- - -

She was pretty sure she hated him—

No, that was wrong. She didn't hate him.

She hadn't hated him before, at least. And if she did now, she wouldn't have hesitated to put her rapier through his gut. She'd had plenty of chances; they always seemed to end up pulled together, though circumstances or through sheer dumb luck.

But she hated _that_ as much as she hated the stupid noble notions he got, the way he always tried to play the hero. She hated the way his stupid brilliant smile made everything else seem so foolish, the way it made her want to give him his dream, even if it meant sacrificing her own.

She hated him for promising the impossible.

…Yeah, she hated him.

Hated him like hell.

- - -

* * *

- - -

"I'm gonna be the mane event

Like no king was before

I'm brushing up on looking down

I'm working on my roar"

-Broadway Kids, _I Just Can't Wait To Be King_

- - -

"Fight your way to the top! Rah, rah, rah!" she chanted, planting a boot on the fallen enemy's back.

"Gitcher foot offa me," mumbled Colin through a faceful of snow.

She smacked him with the snowball she held in her mittened hand. "Quiet! We beat you guys fair and square!"

On the other side of the playground, Guiness dusted himself off. He and Lyle were sopping wet. "Crazy girl!" he shouted. "We'll get you for this, Whiteylocks!"

As they fled, Colin stumbling behind them, Ritz smiled. For today, she was queen of the schoolyard, and words like that couldn't touch her.

- - -

* * *

- - -

- _Vivaldi: Four Seasons, Op. 8/4, RV 297, "Winter" – Largo_, Yo-Yo Ma, Ton Koopman; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra

- - -

She danced over the flowered hills, her rapier case bumping at her side. The peonies and marigolds were out, as were the white flowers and roses (of every shade; it seemed like flowers were always in season somewhere in Ivalice).

It felt so _good_ to be alive. It was almost criminal.

She turned her grinning face up to the sun, drinking in its warmth. She was just one more flower in a field of thousands, heedless of the blossoms trampled beneath her bare feet.

- - -

* * *


	4. Pack of Fools

**Premise:**

1. Pick a character, fandom, or pairing.

2. Put your iPod on "shuffle." Press play and listen to five songs.

3. For whatever song is selected, write something for your selected character/fandom/pairing. You have until the song is over to finish. Do not go back and change. Then post.

* * *

The fourth entry in a five-part drabble series. This chapter's a little bit different from the rest; instead of focusing on a central character, each of these sketches highlights a minor character. In the hustle and bustle and hero-ing, I feel that these few often get overlooked. This chapter, then, is my tribute to them.

Let me know what you think, all right? Enjoy, and please drop me a review on your way out~!

* * *

**Part 4: Pack of Fools**

**

* * *

**

_- - -_

"The times you were born in may not have been the best

But you can make the times to come better than the rest

I know you will be honest if you can't always be kind_"_

-Carole King, _Child of Mine_

_- - -_

_

* * *

_

Cid Randell slumped over the bar counter, clutching his almost-empty tankard. His day had been shat; he had wandered from store to store, looking for work, but no one had open positions—not the quarry, not the market. Times were hard, and no one wanted to hire a drunken derelict. "Hey bartend'," he slurred, "Gimme another one, eh?"

"You have to let go first, sir," said the bartender, looking disgusted.

Cid grinned lopsidedly. Inside, he was stone cold sober, but he wanted to get roaring drunk. He knew he already stank of it.

He looked out the window and saw a small, brown-haired figure making its way down the street.

The boy had his mother's eyes.

Tipping his head back, Cid grasped the tankard and drank.

* * *

- - -

-FFTA Soundtrack, _Vanishing World_

- - -

* * *

The little moogle smiles as the rest of the clan celebrates, raucous and rowdy, in the common room of the inn. Today the place is packed. Ale flows freely. These are the golden days, where Marche and the rest, flushed with victory, are hailed as heroes. In these days, there are no hard words, no poisonous glances, no malice-laden whispers.

Those will come later, the moogle knows.

They always do.

The moogle wonders if Marche will forget him when he returns to the other world.

In the golden taproom light, a hero looks almost like a god.

* * *

- - -

-Kingdom Hearts II, _Passion KINGDOM Orchestral Instrumental Version_

- - -

* * *

She spun the world delicately, the Li Grimm did. Like a lady at her spindle, she drew it out thread by thread, twisting it this way and that to keep it from unraveling. She spun a cloth of dreams, a web of ambition. Under her hands it took form, a deep, rich blue, streaked crimson with passion and veiled in pale, wispy clouds of hope.

And then she breathed on it and, with a sharp snip of fate, let it go.

* * *

- - -

_"Itsudatte kimi no koto wo, bokura wa koko de matteru kara _

_Ya na koto ga atta no nara, bokura ni hanashi wo kikasete yo  _

_Sakki made naite ita (nakanai de), kimi no kanashii kao mo (sugu ni)  _

_Hora bokura nara itsu no mani egao ni kaeru (Egao ni kaeru!)  _

_Mata ashita! Hohoenda kimi ni aeru you ni _

_Sumi kitta aozora ukabu kumo no you ni _

_Mune ippai hi no hikari abite, aruki dasou _

_Boku to"_

**[TRANS: ]**

"We're always here waiting for you, so

If something's troubling you, let us hear about it 

Even your sad face (don't worry), which was crying earlier (soon)

Look, we can change it to a smile before you know it

 (Change it into a smile!) 

See you tomorrow! So we can see you smiling 

Just like a cloud floating in the perfectly clear blue sky

Bask in the light of day with all your might, and start walking 

With me"

-Ouran High School Host Club, _Mata Ashita!_

- - -

* * *

Babus folded his arms over his chest and scowled. He didn't see why he had been forced to accompany the prince on this ridiculous outing. And with the other children, as well! Ragamuffins, all. Now that the war was over and the clans and palace had made its peace, they probably thought that they were all friends again.

Fools. Whatever the prince's personal feelings, he didn't trust that Marche boy one bit.

"Hey, sulkyface. Come and join the fun."

A hand reached out and batted him on the ear—the dead one, the one rife with stitches. Babus stiffened as it swung back and hit him on the cheek.

"I don't do picnics," he said curtly.

"Touchy." The hand fell. Ezel grinned. "You did when we were still at university."

"That was then. This is now." He turned away.

Ezel caught him looking at Marche. "Forget the past. Come on. For one moment, just enjoy yourself."

His one-time friend trailed back to where the picnic lay. Reluctantly, Babus followed.

* * *

- - -

"Can I have your attention—

What are we starting here?

Just look around you the answer is clear

Listen, listen

And hear the coming sound"

-Phil Wickham, _After Your Heart_

- - -

* * *

The whispers spread, slowly, like plague, like pox, over the land. She heard them, of course. How could she not?

But she hadn't been queen this long for nothing. She knew what she was doing, what she was getting herself into.

"Mama," whispered her son, tugging at her sleeve like a child, for all that he was a boy almost full-grown. He clutched his bear tightly under his arm. "They're calling us demons."

That bear. That tattered, patched bear. She should have gotten rid of it long ago, when she had the chance.

"I know, honey," she answered quietly. "That's the price of power."

- - -


	5. Red Knight

**Premise:**

Pick a character, fandom, or pairing.

Put your iPod on "shuffle." Press play and listen to five songs.

For whatever song is selected, write something for your selected character/fandom/pairing. You have until the song is over to finish. Do not go back and change. Then post.

* * *

**A/N: **The final entry in a five-part drabble series. I got tired of my own music and, just for fun, found an online playlist of "Top Popular Songs" to use instead. Needless to say, the results were quite... interesting. (Definitely _not_ my usual, that's for sure. ^_^;; ) I think that explains the first two pieces, anywho. I believe I switched back after that because 1) I got spooked, and 2) I realized I didn't actually know any of the songs on the playlist. Oops.

On a different note, "Slides In A Picture Reel" was definitely one of my favorite projects to write. Looking back on it now, I think I completed it in record time. Thanks for staying with me this long! Enjoy, and please review on your way out~!

* * *

**Part 5: Llednar – Red Knight**

* * *

_- - -_

"There's only two types of guys out there

Ones that can hang with me and ones that are scared

So baby, I hope that you came prepared

I run a tight ship so beware"

-Britney Spears, _Circus_

- - -

* * *

- - -

It wasn't that he _enjoyed_ it—

He smiled, letting the creature's head drop to the ground. It hit the dirt with a limp, wet _thud_. No, that was a lie. He loved it. He loved the way they scrambled to get out of his way, tripping over themselves in their haste to get away from him. He loved the whispers, the frightened glances.

Tugging his blade free, he swung it experimentally. It glimmered in the dim light.

Mateus above, how he _loved_ that feeling. It was better than sex, than alcohol, than love. He drank their fear, bathed in it, gloried in it.

It made him _glow_.

Just let them try to take their eyes off of him now.

- - -

* * *

- - -

"I've had a little bit too much, much

All of the people start to rush, start to rush by

How does he twist the dance? Can't find a drink, oh man

Where are my keys? I lost my phone, phone"

-Lady GaGa, _Just Dance_

- - -

* * *

- - -

What had happened to him?

He sat up groggily, trying to remember. A glass clinked over next to him, rolling emptily over the floor.

Lord, the headache was killing him.

An earthenware mug clunked down on the stones in front of him. "Damn, kid, you look like you were run over by a concrete-mixing truck."

His head hurt too much to think. "A—what?" His voice was rough and unfamiliar to his ears.

She sighed. "Forget it. Next time, be careful where you get your drinks. You're lucky I was there; I chased off the chumps who were trying to make off with your stuff." She waved a hand at him. "Drink it. Thank me later."

Her hair was so pink that it hurt his eyes. Rather than arguing, he groped for the cup and drank.

- - -

* * *

- - -

"Fly on through the night wind, take a star to her for me

Please whisper I love her, make her wait for me

Here it seems so cold now

How I wish her arms around me

Soar, Nightbird of Love—tell her, 'Wait for me'"

-Kalapana, Nightbird

- - -

* * *

- - -

The prince hastily scribbles on the piece of parchment. "Almost done! I swear—!"

Llednar waits impatiently, arms crossed over his chest. Finally, Mewt signs his name, folds the letter, and seals it with his ring. "All done. Can you please give this to her?"

He isn't sure how he feels about being reduced to messenger pigeon status, but he takes the letter anyway. At the door, he pauses. "…Tell me. What is this girl worth to you?"

The prince gazes steadily at him. "She's my world."

Llednar nods and leaves.

That is all he needs to know.

- - -

* * *

- - -

"The old man said to me

Said don't always take life so seriously

Play the flute

And dance and sing your song

Try and enjoy the here and now

The future will take care of itself somehow"

-Howard Jones, _Life In One Day_

_- - -_

_

* * *

_

- - -

_Don't be afraid to smile_, says the tag on the sunflowers when he comes home to find a heap of them on the table. "What are these?" he asks flatly.

"Sunflowers," Marche says amicably. "They're from me. The chocolates are from Ritz—to cure your PMS, she says, which has been getting worse lately—and the CD, which is Yo-Yo Ma, is from Mewt. We wanted to get you something, since you've been working overtime—all the time—these past weeks."

Men don't give each other flowers, he hates chocolate, and the music will probably drive him nuts, but he _has_ been feeling tired and stressed lately. So tired, in fact, that instead of chucking them all out the window (like he should), he just grumbles and stuffs the sunflowers into an empty pot. He already has a splitting headache, and it wouldn't worth hearing Marche gripe about them, anyway.

Marche smiles knowingly, and though he hasn't said anything, Llednar still tells him to shut up.

- - -

* * *

- - -

"Tomaranai mune no itami koete

Motto kimi ni chikazukitai yo

Hitomawari shite wa modori

Aoi sora wo zutto tesaguri"

(Trans:)

"Recovering from the endless pain in my heart

I want to be closer to you;

Once more around is the beginning again,

Always feeling about blindly for the blue sky"

-Utada Hikaru, _Sakura Drops_

_- - -_

_

* * *

_

- - -

"I will be there for you forever,"

_(Until death do us part, drones the priest in the background as the country mourns)_

he tells Mewt at the funeral. He believes it firmly, with all his heart. He is, after all, only five years old, and it is his duty to protect the prince.

"No, you won't," the prince says adamantly. "You'll die like Grandpa did. And then you won't be there any more."

"Yes, I will," he insists. "I have to be. And I won't die

_(He remembers the demonstration, where the knightmaster forced his head into the well and held it under the surface for an eternity. He didn't die, but he'd had pnemonia for three weeks. It had felt like hell itself)_

anyhow. I'm not allowed to."

"Then I will," the prince says stubbornly. "_I_ can drown."

He grabs the prince and hugs him tightly.

_(It'll be the only hug he ever gives him.)_

"No," he says. "As long as I'm around, you won't be allowed to, either."

- - -

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks much for sticking around, guys!

BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE. D:

Stay tuned and keep your eyes open for a bonus chapter by Icey the Fox, coming soooon~!


	6. Devoted Knave

**GUEST CHAPTER: COURTESY OF ICEY THE FOX**

* * *

**Premise:**

1. Pick a character, fandom, or pairing.

2. Put your iPod on "shuffle." Press play and listen to five songs.

3. For whatever song is selected, write something for your selected character/fandom/pairing. You have until the song is over to finish. Do not go back and change. Then post.

* * *

**A/N: **Alright, hey, everybody. **Icey the Fox**, here. Min was uber-kind enough to let me ride on her coattails and submit a chapter to this story, 'cause she's awesome like that. This chapter is going to focus on Doned. I really lucked out on the second song ;P.

* * *

**Guest Chapter: Doned - Devoted Knave**

* * *

"_But I,_

_I've never felt so much life_

_Than tonight_

_Huddled in the trenches."_

_- _The Soldiering Life, by The Decemberists

- - -

* * *

- - -

He was freezing. The wind was howling along the mountain's walls, tearing at his clothing and ripping away any warmth he might have otherwise gathered from his thick traveling blanket.

Doned shivered, trying to shrug down deeper into his heavy clothing. Marcus, the bangaa that was leading this mission, glanced down at the young human. "Are you alright, kid?"

Doned glanced up, and though his teeth were chattering, he grinned. "Nah, I'm just nervous. This is my first time actually taking part in a mission. I never thought Marche would let me, and now, well, here I am."

Marcus smiled back. "Well, don't get yoursssself killed. I don't think the clan leader would appreciate hisss younger brother dying on my watch."

- - -

* * *

- - -

"_Alexander, our older brother_

_Set out for a, a great adventure_

_He tore our images out of his pictures_

_He scratched our names out of all his letters."_

- Neighborhood # 2 (Laïka) by The Arcade Fire

- - -

* * *

- - -

When he finally got back to his room in the pub, Doned didn't even nod to the barman as he walked in. He simply walked up to his room, and slammed the door behind him.

Why? Why did it have to be like this? He finally had his legs, his strength, his freedom, and the only person standing in his way was… Marche?

He cursed, and swung his fist at the door. Pain shot up into his wrist, and he cursed beneath his breath. He still wasn't strong enough to exert himself. He would never be able to directly confront Marche and his clan.

Still, maybe he could use some of his other talents. He'd been working for a few smaller clans lately, helping them plan attacks and prepare ambushes for their targets. Maybe he could use that skill, along with some of his new contacts, to hold up Marche and his clan for a while.

The human took a few deep breaths, and glanced at his shaking hand. It still hurt from when he pounded the door. However, he managed to force it into a fist. If that was how it was going to be, then, well, he'd give it his best.

- - -

* * *

- - -

"_You take a second take a second_

 _Take a year take a year _

 _You took me out and took me in _

 _And told me all of this__."_

- Hop a Plane by Tegan and Sara

- - -

* * *

- - -

"Hey, Doned!" Marche yelped, running through the front door. He was wearing his shorts; a far cry from his heavy winter clothing.

"What's up?" the boy asked, glancing up from his notebook.

"I got my license! Come on, let's go for a drive!"

Doned laughed as Marche forcefully grabbed his arm, pulling him in his wheelchair to the front door. "You know, you're excited about this, but you used to fight monsters for a living."

"Ah, shut up and let me have my fun."

- - -

* * *

- - -

"_Exactly where we are_

_At the centre for holy wars_

_I hope it never comes down again_

_Floating in the air_

_With the stars of the holy wars_

_I hope it never comes down again."_

- The Centre for Holy Wars by The New Pornographers

- - -

* * *

- - -

"You know, if you want to end this world, you're going to have to fight Ritz," Doned said one day in the middle of supper.

Marche glanced up from his stew, cocking an eyebrow at his brother. Montblanc looked up for a moment, then thought better of it and went back to his food.

"I know. I've thought about it."

"Really?" Doned asked, surprised.

"Yeah. It'll be tough, but I'll manage."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Oh," Doned muttered, raising his eyebrows a bit. "Right then."

"Why?"

"Well, I dunno, I thought you would've been a bit… reluctant to hurt her feelings."

"Of course I am."

"No, I mean more so."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing," Doned said innocently.

Marche stared for a few seconds longer, not quite sure what to make of this. Finally, he went back to his food, but not before he caught a chuckle from Montblanc.

- - -

* * *

- - -

"_Walk with me down the beach and through the valley floor _

_Love for the one you know more _

_Love for the one you know more _

_Back we go to your brother's house emptier my dear _

_The sound of ancient voices ringing soft upon your ear."_

- Oliver James by Fleet Foxes

- - -

* * *

- - -

When an odd, familiarly chilly wind ran through the pub, Doned looked up sharply. He knew that wind. It was the same wintry gusts that blew through St Ivalice in winter.

Across from him, Nono and Ezel noticed him. "What's up, kupo?" the young moogle asked.

"Uh, I can't really explain," he replied quickly, jumping up. "I, uh, I've got to go."

He started walking for the door, but Ezel's voice stopped him.

"Am I to assume those idiots pulled it off?"

Doned glanced back and grinned at the old nu mou, nodding quickly. Then, he went outside. He stretched his legs out, relishing the feeling. He took a deep breath, and then started running. He didn't care for all of the people staring at him. He just ran, relishing the burning in his lungs and in his legs. He had this for a few more seconds. Just a few more.

- - -

* * *

**-End Transmission.-**


End file.
